Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 3/25/2009

Question
Over the past year I have had 4 major surgeries due to a leaking appendix that was not caught in time, as a result of the toxins released into my intensions the infection that set in caused complete narcoses of the appendix, sigmoid colon and about 8 inches of my intension all of which were removed.  Multiple complications of this infection lead to 4 major surgeries including a colostomy, removal of a large abscess and reversal of the colostomy.  

During this illness I was hospitalized for a total of 30days off and on with several days in ICU.  The doctors told my wife I was “morbidly ill” and had been on more than 22 different medications including heavy doses of daltin and what they called last result antibiotics.  I lost over 40 pounds of weight during this time and lost the sensation in my feet which the dr. explained was a result of the weight loss.

As result I have almost no recollection of any of these events after the initial ER visit, pretty much 3 months of my I do not remember anything.

Six months after the last surgery I am still experiencing sever memory loss to the point of not remembering where I am going while driving, assignments at work, my children’s names and even words I want to use in conversations.  Before this Illness I was extremely quick witted and had a memory like an iron vault.  Today I can barely remember what day of the week it is.

Is this memory loss due to the anesthesia, the number of medications I was on, the rapid weight loss or a combination of all the above and can I expect my memory to come back eventually or is this permeate?


Answer
It is not due to the anesthesia specifically but more likely due to the long chronic illness, hospital stay, medications, etc. It should start to get better but if you find that it is not (or it is getting worse), you should see a neurologist for a full evaluation. There may be some underlying cause unrelated to the original injury, that is causing this.

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston